The crude extract of Jatropha isabellei and its fraction rich in alkaloid presents antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in a rat gout model, similar to that observed after treatment with colchicine, supporting the traditional use of this plant in gouty patients.
Vitex megapotamica (Sprengel) Moldenke belongs to the Verbenaceae family and is popularly known as "tarumã". The antioxidant capacity of fractions and crude extract from the leaves of V. megapotamica were determined in this study through the capacity to remove reactive species and phenolic compounds were quantified in the various fractions. The IC 50 (DPPH) ranged from 14.17 ± 0.76 to 37.63 ± 0.98 µg/mL. The ethyl acetate fraction might contain the strongest lipid peroxidation inhibitory compounds with an IC 50 of 16.36 ± 5.09 µg/mL, being also the one with the highest content of polyphenols (522.4 ± 1.12 mg/g), flavonoids (220.48 ± 0.30 mg/g) and condensed tannins (3.86 ± 0.53 mg/g). Compounds quantified by HPLC/DAD in the crude extract and fractions were chlorogenic and rosmarinic acids. Higher dosages of the extracts were more effective in reducing levels of plasma protein carbonyls and were also shown to be able to remove reactive species by a 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate assay, reducing oxidative
OPEN ACCESSMolecules 2013, 18 8343 stress in all tested fractions. Results obtained indicated that V. megapotamica exhibits good potential to prevent diseases caused by the overproduction of free radicals and it might also be used as a potential source of natural antioxidant agents.
The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the leaves of Tabernaemontana catharinensis had their composition analysed by GC-MS. A total of 18 substances were identified, consisting of a complex mixture of sesquiterpenes (83.52%), monoterpenes (5.46%) and triterpenes (4.56%). The main components in the oil were β-caryophyllene (56.87%), α-cadinol (12.52%), 8S,13-cedran-diol (5.41%), α-terpineol (3.99%), β-eudesmol (2.54%), caryophyllene oxide (2.51%) and ethyl iso-allocholate (2.03%) along with β-cubebene, γ-cadinene, cubenol, 1,8-cineol, o-cymene, curcumenol, spathulenol, friedeline and β-sitosterol as minor constituents. An antioxidant property was tested with the oil obtained by means of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay; the oil presented interesting radical scavenging activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of the composition and antioxidant activity of essential oil from the T. catharinensis collected from Brazil.
The antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of the dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and butanolic fractions from the leaves, twigs and stem bark of Scutia buxifolia were evaluated using the broth microdilution method and the brine shrimp lethality method, respectively. Phytochemical analysis was performed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antimicrobial results demonstrated that the strongest effect occurred with the butanol fraction from the twigs and the ethyl acetate fraction from the stem bark against Saccharomyces cerevisiae (minimal inhibitory concentration; MIC = 62.5 µg mL(-1)), whereas the ethyl acetate and butanolic fractions from the twigs and stem bark were effective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, with MIC values ranging from 125 to 500 µg mL(-1). LD(50) values varied from 50.00 ± 0.22 to 82.23 ± 0.34 µg mL(-1). Quercetin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin and rutin were identified by HPLC and may be partially responsible for the antimicrobial activities observed. This study reports for the first time the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of S. buxifolia leaves, twigs and stem bark.
The antioxidant capacity of the crude extract and fractions of Tabernaemontana catharinensis fruits and branches, was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and the content of polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids and condensed tannins were determined by the spectrophotometric method. The ethyl acetate fraction of the fruits and the n-butanol fraction of the branches showed IC 50 of 181.82 µg/mL and 78.19 µg/mL, respectively. All fractions were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), in the branches were quantified chlorogenic acid in the chloroform (8.96 mg/g), ethyl acetate (4.31 mg/g) and n-butanol (3.33 mg/g) fractions; caffeic acid in the ethyl acetate (5.24 mg/g) and n-butanol (1.81 mg/g); gallic acid (0.52 mg/g) in the n-butanol. In the fruits, chlorogenic acid in the chloroform (1.67 mg/g); rutin in the ethyl acetate (3.45 mg/g) and n-butanol (8.98 mg/g) fractions.The present study showed that these quantified compounds can contribute to antioxidant capacity which was higher in the branches than in the fruits.
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